Mirror refers to any smooth polished or shiny surface, which can reflect light rays and form images. It can be of two types, that is, a plane mirror and a spherical mirror. A mirror whose reflective surface is flat is a plane mirror while a mirror with a curved reflective surface is called a spherical mirror. A spherical mirror is of two types, that is, a convex mirror and a concave mirror. The convex mirror has a reflective surface that is protruding outward. In contrast, in a concave mirror, the reflective surface is protruded.
The main difference between a convex and a concave mirror lies in the image made of the two mirrors, that is, the convex mirror has an image degradation, and the concave mirror either forms an enlarged image or decreases depending on the position of the object.
Types of Mirror
Basically, there are two types of mirror, one is convex mirror and other is concave mirror.
What is convex mirror?
Convex mirrors or otherwise termed as a deviation mirror, because the incident ray originating from the same source (point), will reflect and move in a different direction. As a result, the light rays will not lean towards the mirror object and create a virtual image of the real object.
It is a type of spherical mirror in which the reflective surface is turned outwards, that is, the source of light. This creates a virtual image when, after being reflected from the mirror, a ray of light meets at a certain point. The image formed is vertical, and reduced in size, concerning the object.
What is concave mirror?
A concave mirror is a convergence mirror, due to the fact that when parallel incident rays fall on the surface of the mirror, the rays will reflect and meet at a particular point, that is, the focal point. Its shape is similar to that of a spoon. The reflective surface of a concave mirror tilts inward to focus away from the light source, ie. When light bounces through a curve to a particular area, they form an image.
It can reflect images in two ways:
When the object is close to the mirror, the formed image will appear larger and up to the right, that is, a virtual image is formed.
When the object is away from the mirror, the image formed will appear small and inverted, that is, a real image is formed.
| Convex mirror | Concave mirror |
| It is a kind of spherical mirror whose reflecting surface is protruding outward. Its face is opposite to the center of the sphere. | A curved mirror whose reflective surface is turned inward, that is, towards the center of the sphere, is called a concave mirror. |
| The center of a convex mirror is located behind the mirror. | In the case of a concave mirror the focal point is located in front of the mirror. |
| Convex mirrors are also called deviation mirrors because light rays originate from the same source that is reflected and transformed. | As a concave mirror is a convergence mirror, when a parallel light beam falls on the mirror, they are reflected and transformed at a point. |
| An image created by a convex mirror is a virtual image | A concave mirror forms a real or virtual image based on the position of the object. |
| Convex mirrors are used as rear-view mirrors in cars, enabling the driver to see the traffic behind him. | Conversely, concave mirrors are used in torches and vehicle headlights. |
Conclusion By and large, convex and concave mirrors are two types of spherical mirrors with many uses that are not possible with plane mirrors. The two mirrors are opposite each other and produce different images at different positions.
